The Meaning of Friendship
by FateChica
Summary: Welcome to the adventures of Trunks and Gohan in high school together! Will eventually be a GV and MTOC. Sorry I had to delete it; it needed to be fixed. But, hopefully it's all better now! So, have fun reading about Trunks and Gohan in HS
1. Default Chapter

Welcome to "The Meaning of Friendship" aka "Trunks and Gohan's Crazy Adventures in a Land Called High School". This was an idea that just popped into my head and I needed to get out. I also needed something to get my inspiration back. I have to admit that my inspiration to write has gone out the window and I think I needed something new to get me back on track because, as you've noticed, "Judgment of the Heavens" is going nowhere fast (I swear, it's just the part that I'm on that I'm not inspired to write) and I needed a new story line.  
  
Anyway, "Judgment" hasn't been abandoned, it's just waiting for the right amount of energy. In the meantime, I've decided to pursue an idea that hasn't seemed to have been used a lot: Trunks (of the Mirai persuasion) and Gohan in high school together. Oh the trouble they could get into.  
  
In order to make this story, I'm going to be taking a lot of liberties. One is that I'm changing the timeline a little and Gohan is going to be going to school only 6 years after Cell, making him 17 instead of 18. Second is that Trunks is 18. I'm completely ignoring the fact that the time he spent in the Room of Spirit and Time aged him at all. The third, and final, thing is that Gohan has continued to train since Cell, as I usually have happen in my stories.  
  
With that said, this story will loosely have plot, and it will focus on incidents of Gohan and Trunks living through the high school experience. Of course, there will be Gohan/Videl romance stuff in here and I have something planned for Trunks (I don't know what yet, but I'll figure that out). This story will be mainly a romance humor with mild to moderate Gohan torture, depending on how evil I'm feeling that particular day.   
  
So, I hope you enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, the incredibly sexy Gohan and Mirai Trunks do not belong to me, as well as the rest of the DBZ universe. They belong to luckier people out there. You know who you are, you bastards...  
  
--------Chapter 1: The Arrival of a Friend----------  
  
It was, as usual, a rather unremarkable Thursday in the lives of the students of Orange Star High. The same boring lectures and teachers passed through the minds and classrooms of the students, presenting them with information that would simply go in one ear and out the other in favor of other, more important information. Like, what am I going to wear/say/do on that date tonight? or, in the case of Son Gohan's precocious and obviously Saiya-jin mind, what's for dinner?   
  
So it was no wonder that, at the precise moment this story embarks on, not a single student in room 2-5 paid any attention to the words of the Health Ed teacher standing in front of them. Only the aforementioned Son Gohan, Saiya-jin warrior extraordinaire and savior of the known universe, was paying the slightest iota of attention.   
  
With a small sigh, Gohan glanced about the room, shoving aside his wonderings of what wonderful meal his mother would concoct for him and his brother later that evening. His keen eyes caught glimpses of notes being passed back and forth and his sharp ears picked up the whisperings of side conversations between friends. The corners of his mouth twisted into a small, bittersweet smirk at the thought of friends.   
  
Gohan had only been attending Orange Star High for about a week and a half, but it was soon established that not many people desired to befriend the young Saiya-jin and those who did were reluctant to bring a new person into their already, pre-established groups of friends. Gohan knew this, but was not too terribly troubled by it. Most of the personalities he had encountered in his short tenure at school were ones he didn't want to be associated with.   
  
But, that still didn't mean that the 17-year old young man didn't get lonely and want for companionship during the school hours, someone his age he could relate too. Gohan sighed again; there was no one alive in the universe that could relate to him. Gohan's unique heritage pretty much guaranteed that he would never fully relate to anyone in the ways he wanted, but he had accepted that fact. But, Gohan was hopeful that someone would show up at Orange Star High that he could be friends with. It was, after all, only the beginning of his junior year and he had a whole other year after that to find companionship. Gohan resigned himself to waiting for friends to come and would instead concentrate on school.   
  
Gohan snorted inaudibly at the thought. He had established early on in the first day that school would be easy for him. So far, everything he had learned at Orange Star High had been review and didn't look like it would be anything but for the rest of his high school career. When asked by Gohan why he was going to Orange Star, the Son family matriarch, a one Son Chi-Chi, answered that going to for a couple of years and getting a degree from a well-known high school would further ensure his acceptance into a good school and provide him with the social opportunities he would need to survive in the real world. Gohan conceded to her point and hadn't asked her the question again. But, still, Gohan was going to need additional study material to keep his mind sufficiently stimulated throughout high school.   
  
While Gohan was musing over where to acquire said study material, a familiar ki suddenly popped into existence. Gohan immediately sat upright, his attention sufficiently caught and turned his head sharply to look out the window. No way, he thought, it couldn't be…   
  
From beside him, Eraser noticed the sudden movement and was curious to know what could spark Gohan's interest.  
  
"Psst, Gohan," she whispered, trying to catch his attention. She liked the young Saiya-jin. She thought he was incredibly sexy, like the rest of the female population at Orange Star High, but had decided against pursuing a relationship with him due to his incredibly naïve and innocent nature. The rest of the female population had decided the same thing, unable to find a way to approach him.  
  
"What?" Gohan whispered back, just as quietly, turning back to face Eraser.  
  
"What's up?" she asked. Gohan gave her a small smile.  
  
"Nothing, just remembered something I have to do." The answer satisfied Eraser and she nodded, turning to face forward in her seat again.   
  
From the other side of Eraser, Satan Videl watched the scene with a careful eye. Out of all the girls at Orange Star, she was the only one who still pursued Gohan, but in a completely different way than most females would think of when presented with the incredibly attractive Son Gohan: she wanted to find out every little secret that Son Gohan possessed. There was something about him from the first moment she laid eyes on him that struck her and it wasn't his looks. There was something hidden behind those innocuous eyes that spoke of greater things and Videl wanted to know what they were.   
  
That and the fact that she noticed very distinct similarities between Son Gohan and the mysterious Gold Fighter that showed up the first day of school. Just that knowledge was enough to keep her hounding after him, attempting to ferret out his secrets.   
  
But, if she had learned anything in the last week and a half, Gohan wasn't one to be intimidated into revealing his secrets. She would have to be subtle in her investigations, a tactic she despised using because it usually required her having to get close to a person and Videl wasn't a very open person to begin with. But, if that's what it took, Videl would attempt to become friends with Gohan.   
  
Health Ed continued to go by at a snail's pace and, now, Gohan was anxious to get out of school to investigate his findings, a strange hope rising up in his chest. Lunch couldn't come soon enough and Gohan was faced with the dilemma of whether or not to cut school during lunch. Gohan's sense of what was right won out in the end and he decided to stick out to the end of the day, even if it killed him.   
  
And, to Gohan, it felt like it almost did. The rest of the day couldn't go by fast enough and Gohan had to keep himself from bolting out the door like a bat out of Hell. But, blessedly, school drew to an end three hours later and Gohan was out of Orange Star like a shot. He quickly gathered his things from his locker and ran up the roof, taking off so fast that no one would have been able to spot him.   
  
He raced towards West Capitol, fully intent on getting there. He reached Capsule Corporation, his final destination, in less than 20 minutes, landing inside the complex and racing inside, intent on reaching the ki he had felt so suddenly earlier in the day, a ki he hadn't felt in 6 years. Pushing his way into the central living room, his suspicions were confirmed. A familiar, purple-haired teenager sat with Bulma on the couch, chatting excitedly. Gohan broke out into a huge smile.  
  
"Trunks!"  
  
***  
  
Several minutes before, Mirai Trunks sat talking to his mother, albeit his mother from another dimension, when he picked up on Gohan's ki and was pleasantly shocked.   
  
Damn, his ki has grown since I last saw him. He's obviously been training in the years since Cell, Trunks thought. He smiled as he realized the speed at which Gohan was traveling at; someone was obviously in a hurry and Trunks knew his final destination. Trunks waited patiently, explaining to Bulma what he was doing there and the obvious accident that had put him into the future of the alternate dimension.   
  
It wasn't long until Gohan showed up, almost falling as he ran into the room, his shoes skidding on the hard surface of the floor. Gohan looked at him with face that screamed disbelief and surprise before crying out his name. Trunks stood up and walked over to Gohan, giving the young man an enthusiastic hug.  
  
"Gohan, my man, how are you doing?" Trunks asked. Gohan completely ignored his question.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Gohan asked and, after further scrutiny, added, "And why do you look the same as you did after the Cell Games?" Trunks smiled, a certain sadness in the gesture.  
  
"I've come to live here to be with family; in my world, my mother just died. An unavoidable accident." Trunks paused to look away for a second, burying the memories of coming home to find Capsule Corp a complete wreak and no traces of Bulma's ki anywhere in the world, before looking back up at Gohan.  
  
"And, as why I look the same it's because only a couple of months has passed since I returned from the Cell Games. But, as to why the time machine decided to spit me out in this time of this dimension, we're still trying to figure out. But, it appears we are now about the same age."   
  
"Yeah, well you're still a little older than me," Gohan reminded. Bulma chose that moment to speak up.  
  
"Well, that was quite the entrance, Gohan," Bulma smirked. Gohan smiled widely as he glanced over at his self-proclaimed surrogate mother, much to Vegeta's irritation.   
  
"Sorry, Bulma, but I've known Trunks was here the moment he arrived and it was Hell waiting through the rest of school to come over," Gohan said, hoping that it would explain his excited behavior not two minutes ago. Bulma laughed it off.  
  
"It's fine, Gohan, it was just amusing," Bulma said, gesturing to both Trunks and Gohan to join her on the couch. Both teenagers complied, sitting across from Bulma on the L-shaped couch. A sudden though popped into Gohan's head the moment he sat down.  
  
"Hey, where's the other Trunks and how is he dealing with this?" Gohan asked. Bulma rolled her eyes.  
  
"Well, he's in the gravity room with Vegeta. I swear, that man will never stop until he's beaten you, Gohan." Gohan smiled; Gohan had kept up with his training over the years and Vegeta had never been able to break the barrier that Gohan had effortlessly done 6 years ago. Bulma sighed and continued.  
  
"And, as for what the other Trunks thinks about this, he thinks that it's pretty cool that his time twin has made an appearance and is staying."   
  
"The only thing now, is how we're going to be told apart," Trunks said, trying not to cringe at the thought of what awful names could come up in the attempt to find a way to tell them apart. Fortunately, it was Gohan who had it.  
  
"Well, when you two are in the same room, we could always call you Mirai to distinguish you," Gohan supplied, "Seeing how you are from the future. And when you're apart, we'll just call you by your name." Both Bulma and Trunks nodded.  
  
"Hey, that's not a half bad idea, isn't it mom?" Trunks said, turning to Bulma to see her approval. Bulma shook her head.  
  
"No, it's not. I think it's a pretty good idea." A sudden grin appeared on Gohan's face.  
  
"Hey, if Vegeta mad that there's another person in existence who's stronger than he is?" Gohan asked, noticing that Trunks' ki was still significantly higher than Vegeta's. Trunks laughed.  
  
"Yeah, a little. I mean, it's different for me because I'm his son, but it still irks him to no end." Gohan got a good laugh out of that bit of information.   
  
"So," Gohan said, changing the subject, "What are you going to do with your time now that you're here?" Trunks shrugged.  
  
"I don't know, really. I've thought about going to school. I mean, in my time, mom home taught me until the android threat was too much for me to be home schooled while trying to take care of it. So, I'd like to finish my education." Bulma smiled, having not known that until that moment.  
  
"That's wonderful, Trunks. Gohan over here is going to school as well. Maybe you two could attend school together." Both Trunks and Gohan smiled at each other, both finding merit in the idea. Trunks nodded.  
  
"That sounds pretty good, mom. I'll look into it." Gohan smiled, hoping that Trunks decided to go to school with him. He stood up and looked at the mother and son pair.  
  
"Well, I better get home. I have homework to do and mom'll be wanting me home soon," Gohan said as he adjusted his school bag. Trunks and Bulma nodded.  
  
"See you later, Gohan," Trunks said.  
  
"Drop by any time," Bulma reminded. Gohan smiled.  
  
"I will," Gohan said, "Oh, and Trunks, tell me when you've decided on the school thing, ok?" Trunks nodded.  
  
"Sure thing. I'll let you know soon." Gohan nodded his thanks.  
  
"Great, bye guys!" With that, Gohan was out the door and well on his way, praying that Trunks would go school with him.  
  
***  
  
Friday and the weekend had passed without any word from Trunks on whether he was going to Orange Star or not. Gohan knew he could still attend high school since he was still only 18, just a few months older than Gohan.   
  
Sure, 18 is a little old for a junior, but not by much, Gohan thought as he flew to school on Monday morning.   
  
"I hope he decides to come here," Gohan muttered to himself, "He didn't say anything yesterday when we sparred, but he was acting a little funny, like he had a surprise or something." Gohan shrugged it off as he landed on the roof.  
  
"Oh, well. All will be revealed soon." With that, Gohan entered the building and proceeded down to his classroom. He quickly reached his seat and took out the required notebook for his first class. People milled about around him, holding friendly conversations as they discussed their weekends. Gohan smiled, knowing that a similar kind of conversation was finally within his grasp and there was a person who Gohan could relate to on everything.   
  
We're the only half human, half Saiya-jin teenagers in the universe, Gohan thought wryly as he set his bag underneath his chair and readied himself for the beginning of class. Class started in short order, the wild-haired homeroom teacher stepping into the class room and setting his bag down on the table.  
  
"Good morning, class. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend," the middle-aged man spoke. A few grumbles rose from the class about the weekend not being long enough. The teacher smiled at that; the same response every time.  
  
"Well, I'd like to start out this morning with something special. We have another new student." Gohan's heart stopped in his chest. Was it Trunks? Gohan scanned the area with his ki and didn't find anything, but that didn't tell Gohan anything; Trunks could be suppressing his ki.  
  
"Apparently, we have another genius on our hands. He scored a perfect on the entrance exams, just like our own Son Gohan back there," Gohan blushed at the compliment, "And I hope you all make him feel welcome. You can come in now, son." Everyone's eyes turned towards the door and it opened, Briefs Trunks walking slowly into the room, displaying not a hint of nervousness. Decked out in a pair black jeans, a tank top, and his Capsule Corp, jacket, Trunks looked like he had not a problem in the world. Gohan smiled; the school year just got a whole lot more interesting.   
  
Around him, he could hear the words "dork", "geek", and "cutie" floating around. Apparently, a whole lot of the girls found Trunks' looks to be very appealing while the guys harbored the same prejudice for anyone that scored well on a test.  
  
"Hi, everyone," Trunks spoke in his soft baritone, "My name is Trunks and I'm happy to be here." Apparently, that was all Trunks was going to say.  
  
"Well, I suppose that's enough of an introduction," the teacher said, "You may take that empty seat up there at the end in the second to last row." Trunks turned to the teacher.  
  
"Thank you, sensei," he said before turning to move up to his seat. He tossed Gohan a smile as he took his assigned seat, the seat right behind Gohan's.   
  
Videl watched as the purple-haired student made his way up the stairs, a look of suspicion on her face; it was a similar suspicion that she felt towards Gohan, but minus the denied attraction she felt for Gohan. She saw the familiar smile in Gohan's direction and wondered about it. Her eyes widened as Gohan extended his hand behind his head, palm up and Trunks high-fived it quietly. Apparently the two new kids knew each other and she was going to find out how.  
  
--------------  
  
So, pretty good idea, huh? Those two boys are going to drive Videl completely bonkers by the end of this. I'm beginning to wonder if Videl torture is intrinsically woven in to Gohan torture...I think so...well, anyway, tell me what you think! Hopefully that'll get me to write faster. You know what they say: flattery'll get you everywhere! FateChica out. 


	2. Gohan Gets A Makeover

Amazingly enough, I've finished another chapter in an incredibly short amount of time. And it's not a short chapter, either. There are parts of this chapter that I just find hilarious and I hope you do, too.   
  
BTW, you should all be thankful I got this chapter out as fast as I did. I'm having a really bad allergy attack (in the middle of winder, of all things) and the allergy medicine is making me rather drowsy. So, kiss my feet, all of you! Just kidding...it's the allergy meds talking. Hope you enjoy!  
  
[Second note: sorry about that mix up in how chapter 2 became chapter 1 and chapter 1 became chapter 2. Don't know how that happened.]  
  
Disclaimer: see part 1  
  
--------Chapter 2: Gohan Gets A Makeover----------  
  
Gohan had to literally bit down on his tongue to keep from turning around and talking to Trunks during the first morning lecture. Instead, he waited for his first opportunity: the break between classes when the teachers changed rooms. The moment the teacher started packing up his lecture notes, Gohan turned around, a mock look of reprimand on his face. Trunks whistled and looked away as if nothing was amiss. Gohan chuckled.  
  
"You little punk! Why didn't you tell me yesterday you were coming here?" Gohan questioned. Trunks smiled.  
  
"It would have ruined the surprise," Trunks said as he leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms behind his head, "Besides, it was funny seeing the look on your face when I walked in." Gohan just looked hurt at Trunks' words.  
  
"And," Gohan said, lowering his voice as he glanced around to see if anyone was listening, "You suppressed your ki." Trunks just nodded.  
  
"Well, then you would have noticed me the moment I stepped on campus," Trunks said, "And we just couldn't have that, now could we?" Gohan narrowed his eyes, feigning anger.  
  
"You brat," Gohan said before chuckling. Beside him, Eraser and Videl both noticed the friendly conversation and wondered.  
  
"Hey," Eraser asked, "You two know each other?" Both guys turned to look at Eraser. Gohan nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I've known Trunks since I was, what, 7?" Gohan said, turning to Trunks for confirmation. Trunks nodded.  
  
"Yup. Those were interesting times," Trunks commented, remembering the days before and during Cell.   
  
"And, until a few days ago, I hadn't seen you since I was 11," Gohan said wryly, throwing a look at Trunks. Trunks held his hands out in defense.  
  
"What? Why are you looking at me like that? It's not my fault I couldn't keep in touch," Trunks defended. Gohan's eyebrows raised in mock disbelief.  
  
"Sure," Gohan drawled, purposely nagging Trunks, "The same old excuse." Trunks glared at Gohan.  
  
"Oh, shut up. I ought to hit you," Trunks said. Gohan laughed.  
  
"You can do that later," Gohan said. Trunks looked at the sympathetic look on Gohan's face and started to laugh. Gohan caught on a few moments later, laughing as well at something that wasn't even particularly funny. Videl watched the exchange between the two, her eyes narrowing. She bought the story about them knowing each other since they were little, but there was something telling her that there was more to it. Eraser smiled.  
  
"Well, that's nice. So, Trunks," Eraser said, turning to the purple-haired Saiya-jin, "Where do you come from?"  
  
"West Capitol," Trunks answered simply. Eraser raised an incredulous eyebrow.  
  
"Wow, that's a two hour drive." Trunks shrugged.  
  
"Well, this is a pretty good school and I knew Gohan was going here, so it's not that bad of a commute." Gohan snorted.   
  
Of course it's not. It's only a 20 minute flight for you, Gohan thought. Videl heard the snort and looked at Gohan suspiciously; Gohan seemed to have adopted an attitude most unlike what she was used to him having.  
  
"What was that for, Gohan?" she asked, none too gently. Gohan looked wide-eyed at Videl, not expecting her to have heard him.  
  
"N-nothing, inside joke," Gohan stuttered. Videl raised an eyebrow as she looked at Gohan questioningly. Eventually, she sighed.  
  
"Never mind," she conceded.  
  
"So," Trunks spoke up, "What's next?" Gohan sighed, his mind off of Videl's questioning.  
  
"Math," Gohan stated. Trunks looked at Gohan with confusion.  
  
"Why the sigh? I like math," Trunks said. Gohan just shot him a look.  
  
"It's pre-calculus." Trunks practically guffawed.  
  
"What? Only pre-cal?" Trunks sputtered, "But, I've already done pre-cal!" Gohan rolled his eyes.  
  
"Join the club," Gohan sighed, settling back into his chair as the math teacher entered the room. Both Eraser and Videl looked impressed.  
  
"Wow, you must be really smart," Videl said. Trunks shrugged.  
  
"Runs in the family," Trunks explained, "My mom's a scientist." There were a few moments of silence before Trunks realized something.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, I just realized that I don't know your names," Trunks said, an apologetic smile on his face. Eraser smiled broadly as his face became 5 times more handsome for the smile.  
  
"My name is Eraser," she said, "And you should already know who this is." Eraser pointed at Videl. Trunks shook his head.  
  
"No, I don't think I know who you are," Trunks said to Videl. Both Eraser and Videl were flabbergasted. From Videl's right, Sharpener spoke up.  
  
"She's Satan Videl, the daughter of the famous Hercule," Sharpener spoke with a proud sneer. Trunks just looked even more confused.  
  
"Hercule?" Trunks questioned. The jaws of Sharpener, Eraser, and Videl all visibly dropped. Gohan turned around, slightly panicked at Trunks' lack of knowledge.  
  
"Remember? The guy who beat Cell?" Gohan said, hoping that Trunks would get the hint. Trunks remembered the name and face that went with it.  
  
"Oh yeah," Trunks said, "But, Gohan, you-" Trunks' sentence was cut off by the piercing glare coming from Gohan, indicating that he should just shut up. Apparently Gohan wanted Trunks to go along with the "Hercule beat Cell" story; why, however, he couldn't figure. Trunks smiled at the other three.  
  
"Sorry, I have memory issues," Trunks said. Inwardly, he was kicking himself for making himself look like an idiot. The other three nodded in understanding, though Videl wasn't buying his excuse.   
  
He's almost as bad a liar as Gohan is, Videl thought, but let the thought go as the teacher began class; it would just have to wait until later.  
  
***  
  
Lunch eventually rolled around. The entirety of Orange Star High School was outside, enjoying lunch under the spring sun. But, Videl wasn't enjoying herself at all. Directly in her line of sight, about 20 feet away from her table, sat Trunks and Gohan, laughing and talking like normal people.   
  
She was pissed. Not only was she stuck between Eraser and her ditzy friends on one side and Sharpener and his jock friends on the other, her plans of getting close to Gohan were now ruined after she spent the entire weekend devising a ruse for getting close to him. She knew he had no friends, so she was going to start being friendly towards him, a sort of savior in a friendless land. But, apparently, that plan wasn't going to work.   
  
Noticing the camaraderie between Trunks and Gohan, it was obvious that Gohan had found a closer friend in Trunks than he would have been able to find in Videl. Videl clenched her fist as her gaze swept over to Trunks.   
  
Bastard. He ruined all my plans, Videl thought. Part of her envied the close friendship between the two, not having something like it herself. Videl sighed. They're probably having a somewhat intelligent conversation, Videl thought longingly. But she just couldn't bring herself to get up and join them, not feeling comfortable enough with either Trunks or Gohan to just join them out of the blue. From next to her, a question was directed at her, but she missed it.  
  
"What?" she said. Eraser sighed.  
  
"You really are spacing out. I asked you if you were ok," Eraser repeated. Videl gave Eraser one of her gruff smiles.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking," Videl said as she glanced over one last time and the table Trunks and Gohan sat at. I wonder what they're talking about.   
  
***  
  
"They call this food?" Trunks asked as he poked at his tray with his fork, trying to discern whether or not his food was organic.  
  
"It reminds me of Bulma's cooking, actually," Gohan said, not daring to yet take a bite of what passed as food at the institution they called school. Trunks glared at Gohan.  
  
"Hey, no remarks about my mom's cooking. Even though it's like eating paste," Trunks said, unable to suppress the chuckle that escaped. Gohan smirked.  
  
"That's for sure," Gohan said. Trunks sighed.  
  
"Well, it's a good thing mom has something planned for me to have lunch at school. This is not enough to feed a Saiya-jin, even a half one." Gohan nodded.  
  
"I know," Gohan sighed, "I have to eat twice as much for breakfast to make up for what I'm not eating at lunch." Trunks looked up at Gohan, a small smile on his face.  
  
"Well, mom is making a capsule that holds a large table with a whole bunch of food on it. Want me to get her to make you one too? It's more than enough food for a Saiya-jin." Gohan smiled.  
  
"As long as Bulma doesn't make the food, that's sounds perfect. No more suffering through school lunches." Trunks just snorted.  
  
"Tell me about it. This stuff looks like Cell ate it and then threw it back up," Trunks said. Gohan's face twisted in disgust as he pushed away his plate.  
  
"Well, after that colorful analogy, I think I have lost my appetite for the first time ever. Congratulations, Trunks. You managed to make a Saiya-jin lose his appetite." Trunks laughed as he put his tray on top of Gohan's.  
  
"Thank you, thank you," Trunks said with a small bow, "I'll go throw these away." Trunks scooped up the two trays and headed for the trash cans to get rid of the mockery the school called food. Trunks quickly sat back down, a curious look on his face.  
  
"Hey, Gohan, how come you let Mr. Satan take the credit for what you did with Cell?" Trunks asked, keeping his voice low so no one would hear their conversation. Gohan sighed.  
  
"It's a little complicated," Gohan said, "I really don't want the credit for it. I mean, Mr. Satan is chased after all the time by the press; I really don't want that type of attention. Besides, he took credit for it anyway after we all left. Since the news crews couldn't really see what was going on at the end, they had no reason to doubt that Mr. Satan had won. Anyway, I mean, how many people would believe that an 11-year old child defeated Cell instead of a world-renowned martial artist?" Trunks nodded thoughtfully.  
  
"I see your point. But it bothers me. I mean, you remember the words of that man when he called everything we can do nothing but tricks. The words of a coward," Trunks muttered. Gohan had to agree.  
  
"I know, but I don't really feel like correcting him. And, besides, it's not like his claiming to have beaten Cell bothers me that much. It doesn't really affect me, so I see no reason to change everyone's thinking."  
  
"Well, that's cool," Trunks said, "It's your choice seeing how as you defeated Cell in the first place." They were silent for a couple of minutes, Gohan staring off into space and Trunks eyeing Gohan carefully. After a few moments, a thought dawned on Trunks.   
  
Where in the Hell did he get those clothes? Trunks thought, looking at Gohan's outfit. We are going to have to change that.   
  
"Hey Gohan, what are you doing this afternoon?" Trunks asked. Gohan smiled mischievously.  
  
"Why, Trunks? Wanna ask me out on a date?" Gohan laughed. Trunks punched Gohan in the arm, but it didn't affect Gohan much.  
  
"Very funny," Trunks said, "I'm serious." Gohan stopped laughing.  
  
"Well, I'm not doing anything. Why, do you wanna spar or something?" Gohan asked. Trunks shook his head.  
  
"No, maybe later though. I was, however, thinking more along the lines of the mall," Trunks said. Gohan's head cocked to one side with curiosity.  
  
"The mall? What for?" Trunks sighed.  
  
"Gohan, where did you get those clothes?" Trunks asked. Gohan looked down at his outfit.  
  
"I don't know; my mom got it for me a while ago. Why?" Trunks slapped a hand to his face.  
  
"Because you look like you got dressed in the dark," Trunks said. Gohan blinked at him, completely oblivious.  
  
"I do? But I thought this looked ok." Trunks just shook his head.  
  
"It would look ok if you were 6, but you're almost 18 Gohan. We have to get you into the now. You need new clothes, clothes with some style."  
  
"But, I don't have any money," Gohan explained, "How am I supposed to buy clothes without money?" Trunks smiled.  
  
"Obviously you've forgotten who my mother is," Trunks said, "You know you are looking at the son of the richest woman in the world." Gohan looked almost horrified.  
  
"But, Trunks, I can't ask you to do that," Gohan said, "How would I pay you back?" Trunks waved his head, dismissing the issue.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Mom got me a Capsule Corp credit card with an unlimited spending limit. I just gotta tell her what I'm using it for; she won't care." Gohan still looked a little apprehensive.  
  
"Well, ok, if you think she won't care. I don't see what's wrong my clothes as they are now, but I won't mind getting new ones. Thank you for spending the money, by the way." Trunks smiled.  
  
"No problem. We just have to tell our parents we're going after school," Trunks said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a cell phone, "I'll call my mom now and you can call Chi-Chi after school. I think she might get mad at you if you called home during school hours." Gohan chuckled.  
  
"Yeah, that's for sure," Gohan said. Trunks laughed as he dialed his mom's number. It rang a couple of times before picking up.  
  
"Moshi moshi, Bulma speaking."  
  
"Hey mom," Trunks greeted.  
  
"Trunks! What's up? Are you ok?" Bulma asked.   
  
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I just wanted to call and tell you that Gohan and I are going to the mall after school today," Trunks explained. Bulma laughed.  
  
"And why are two teenage boys going to the mall together?" Bulma asked.  
  
"I'm buying Gohan a new wardrobe," Trunks said. Bulma laughed lightly.  
  
"Kami knows he needs it. I take it you'll be using the credit card I gave you?" Bulma asked. Trunks nodded, though Bulma couldn't see it.  
  
"Yeah, I didn't think you'd mind."  
  
"No, not at all," Bulma said, "But thanks for telling me. I gotta go, though. I'm working on that anti-matter laser I was telling you about. See you when you get home." Bulma didn't give Trunks a chance to reply before handing up the phone. Trunks pulled the phone away and looked at with raised eyebrows.  
  
"Bye to you, too, mom," Trunks said sarcastically before disconnecting the line and placing the phone back into his jacket pocket.  
  
"She's fine with it," Trunks continued, "She says you need a new wardrobe, by the way." Gohan rolled his eyes.  
  
"One person says it, it's opinion; two people, gospel. I must really need a whole new look, or something," Gohan mused.  
  
"Trust me, I may not be big on style or anything, but you could use a style upgrade," Trunks said. The moment those words left Trunks' mouth, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.  
  
"Well, better get back to that there book learnin'," Trunks said with a southern drawl. Gohan laughed and cringed at the same time.  
  
"Trunks, for my sake, please don't try to speak with a southern accent again," Gohan said as they stood up from their table and headed back inside.  
  
"Just as long as you let me burn that outfit," Trunks bargained. Gohan rolled his eyes, conceding.  
  
"Sure, fine, whatever."  
  
***  
  
Videl followed Trunks and Gohan as they went to their lockers. Gohan's was only a few down from hers and she was surprised to find, as were Trunks and Gohan, that Trunks' locker was right next to Gohan's. Appearing to be gathering her books, Videl kept both an eye and an ear on them, trying to find anything out of the ordinary about them.  
  
"Hey, Trunks," Gohan said after both he and Trunks got a good laugh out of having lockers adjacent to one another, "Let me borrow your phone so I can call my mom." Trunks nodded and pulled the phone out of his jacket. Videl eyes narrowed as she spotted the Capsule Corp logo on the jacket. How'd he get one of those?   
  
I thought those were for employees only, Videl mused as Gohan took the phone from Trunks hands.  
  
"Thanks," Gohan said as he dialed his home number. It rang several times before a flustered Chi-Chi answered the phone.  
  
"Moshi-moshi," Chi-Chi breathed.  
  
"You ok, mom?" Gohan asked, not even bothering to greet his mother.  
  
"Gohan!" Chi-Chi exclaimed, "Is school out?"  
  
"Yeah, it is. Hey, I have a question," Gohan said. Chi-Chi's eyes narrowed in curiosity.  
  
"Yes? What is it?" Chi-Chi asked.  
  
"Well, I was wondering if I could hang out with Trunks after school," Gohan said. Chi-Chi sighed with relief; at least the older Trunks was a good kid.  
  
"Sure!" Chi-Chi said, "That's fine with me. Mirai Trunks is a very polite young man. He's a good person for you to be friends with. You have fun, ok?" Gohan smiled.  
  
"Will do, mom," Gohan said, "See you when I get home."  
  
"Ok, Gohan. Love you," Chi-Chi said.  
  
"You too, mom," Gohan replied, "Bye." With that, Gohan hung up the phone and handed it back to Trunks.  
  
"Thanks, man." Trunks looked over at Gohan with an eyebrow raised and a small, wry smirk on his face.  
  
"You didn't even tell Chi-Chi what we're doing," Trunks said with thinly veiled amusement. Gohan shrugged.  
  
"I think she would have objected if she really knew. This way, I can surprise her when I get home," Gohan said. Videl's ears perked with curiosity; surprise with what?  
  
"And won't she be surprised," Trunks chuckled, "You have all your stuff?" Gohan nodded.  
  
"Already had it all in my bag. I was waiting for you," Gohan said, emphasizing the last word, acting as if it had been a great chore to wait for Trunks to put away his things in his locker. Trunks rolled his eyes.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, bitch, moan," Trunks sighed, "Let's go." Together, Trunks and Gohan walked away, Videl watching them as they walked side-by-side.   
  
Videl let them go without following; she didn't think their afternoon activity important enough to trail them. It didn't, however, stop her from wondering about the two new kids. Trunks seemed nice enough, a little on the quiet side, though. Videl smirked; that wasn't all that bad.   
  
But, with Gohan, that was a different story. Videl easily picked up the change in Gohan due to Trunks' appearance at Orange Star High. Videl had pegged him to be a rather quiet, shy individual, but seeing him around Trunks totally changed what she thought about him. Seeing him with Trunks made her want to be friends with him, a sensation she had never experienced before. He was animated, funny, and open when talking to Trunks. It made Videl shake her head in wonder at how different he was when he was around someone he knew well.   
  
But there was still something off about him, the same with Trunks as well. Videl couldn't pinpoint it, but whatever was off about Gohan was the same with Trunks and she couldn't figure out what it was. But she would; Videl was determined to find out what it was about them the intrigued her. A small smile formed on her face; she looked forward to the challenge.  
  
***  
  
Gohan sighed as he looked next to him. Beside him, Trunks flew at the same pace, his eyes forward.  
  
"So, where are we going?" Gohan asked. Trunks looked over at him and smiled.  
  
"Where else? The West Capitol Mega Mall," Trunks drawled, "Where every single chain store in existence resides." Gohan sighed; he'd been to that mall before, though the last time it was as a pack horse, not a shopper himself.   
  
"Great," he muttered as they flew, "Do we even know what type of clothing stores we're looking for?" Trunks shrugged.  
  
"Won't know until we look, will we?" Trunks smiled. Gohan groaned; it was going to be a long day. They reached West Capitol and made a quick stop at Capsule Corp to pick up several empty capsules to store their day's purchases. They made their way to the mall in short time and stopped in front of the entrance, taking in the sight of the large mall.  
  
"Ahh, capitalism at its best," Trunks quipped as they stood in front of the entrance.   
  
"Well, let's not stand here all day, Trunks," Gohan said, "If we're going to buy stuff, we better go in." Trunks just shot Gohan a look that said "duh" before walking into the mall. They stopped a few steps into the mall and looked around. Customers were milling about everywhere, shopping bags jostling at their sides. Trunks glanced a seeking eye about the mall, quickly spotting what he was looking for.  
  
"Ah, good, a directory," Trunks said, dragging Gohan over to the large board. He grabbed a map from the container next to it and opened it up, taking in the sheer number of stores at their fingertips. Gohan looked over Trunks' shoulder to peer at the map as well. When he saw the size and intricacy of the map, he whistled in amazement.  
  
"Damn, that's a lot of stores," Gohan whispered. Trunks nodded.  
  
"Yeah, but we're only looking for a few," Trunks said, using his finger to point at the map, "Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, and American Eagle Outfitters, to name the main ones. We'll stop by in Macy's for shoes, but that's about it. Gohan's eyes lit up as he looked at the map.  
  
"Hey, they're all in the same area," Gohan exclaimed; maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Trunks nodded slowly.  
  
"That they are, but they're on the other side of the mall. Come on, let's get going." With that, the two teenagers started walking, each of them glancing at the stores they passed by. A sudden thought popped into Gohan's head and he chuckled. Trunks looked over at Gohan and cocked an eyebrow.  
  
"What's so funny?" Trunks asked. Gohan shook his head.  
  
"Nothing, really. Just thinking how funny it is that two teenage males are shopping together at the mall for clothes and we both agreed to it." Trunks had to laugh as well.  
  
"Yeah, well, I can see how that would seem odd. But I'm pushing aside my reservation against homosexual tendencies to take you shopping, Gohan. You're such a charity case when it comes to clothing," Trunks teased. Gohan glared at Trunks, but it was hard to make it convincing when he was smiling as well.  
  
"You deserve to be beaten into the ground for that remark," Gohan said. Trunks scoffed.  
  
"Like you could," Trunks said, full well knowing that Gohan could. Gohan tapped Trunks on the chest hard a couple of times.  
  
"You know I can," Gohan reminded friendly, "And don't you forget it." A memory of the Cell Games flashed in Trunks' mind; he could never forget. They eventually made their way to the end of the mall they wanted to be at and stopped at their first destination: the Gap. Trunks smiled broadly while Gohan still looked a little apprehensive.  
  
"Come on, Gohan," Trunks said, seeing Gohan's facial expression, "It won't be so bad. Just put one foot in front of the other." Gohan shot Trunks a none too friendly glare before walking into the Gap. Trunks just laughed and followed Gohan inside.  
  
***  
  
Several hours later, two tired teenagers left the mall. In addition to the Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, and American Eagle, they had stopped by a number of specialty stores to acquire the finishing touches to Gohan's new wardrobe, such as a leather jacket and novelty T-shirts. Gohan sighed as he and Trunks walked into the alley and took to the skies.  
  
"Remind me to never do that ever again," Gohan said. Trunks nodded in agreement.  
  
"And remind me to never suggest it," Trunks added. Gohan smiled weakly.  
  
"No problem," Gohan said, looking down at the bulge in his pocket, the pocket that held the 5 capsules worth of clothing, "I think we bought out every store we went to. I don't even want to think about how much money you spent." Trunks shook his head.  
  
"Neither do I. I suggest you don't add up the receipts. Lucky for us mom's a multi-billionaire and the several thousand dollars we just spent will go by unnoticed." Gohan chuckled.  
  
"Well, at least my wardrobe meets your satisfaction. Isn't that right, your highness?" Gohan teased. Trunks shot Gohan a look.  
  
"Yes, it does. And I am royalty, remember?" Gohan rolled his eyes; as if he could forget with Vegeta constantly reminding everyone that he was the "almighty Prince of the Saiya-jins".  
  
"Well, if I ever forgot, I could always ask Vegeta. He'd set me straight in a heartbeat." Trunks laughed.  
  
"That's how long it's take for him to punch you in the nose for forgetting," Trunks said, a wry smile on his face. Gohan laughed as well, the action fitting Vegeta to a T.  
  
"Very true," Gohan said. Gohan looked down at his watch and cringed slightly.  
  
"Well, it's about 7:00. I better get home and have dinner. Mom's probably wondering where I am," Gohan said. Trunks gave a curt nod.  
  
"Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Bye, Trunks," Gohan called as he turned to head for home. Trunks waved his good-bye as he continued on towards Capsule Corp. Gohan boosted his speed as he headed for home, definitely wanting to get home in time for dinner. Having skipped lunch was definitely not good for a Saiya-jin to do and Gohan was very hungry. Gohan landed next to his front door 15 minutes later with a very empty stomach. Entering through the front door, the smells of dinner assaulted his nose and his stomach growled loudly.   
  
"Mom, I'm home!" Gohan announced loudly.  
  
"Hi honey!" Chi-Chi called back, her voice coming from the kitchen. Gohan set his school bag down by the door and walked into the kitchen, seeing his mother putting the finishing touches on dinner and Goten sitting patiently at the table. Chi-Chi turned to see Gohan entering the kitchen and she smiled at him.  
  
"You're just in time for dinner," Chi-Chi said. Gohan nodded.  
  
"I noticed," Gohan laughed as he sat down next to Goten at the table.  
  
"How was your afternoon with Trunks? What'd you do?" Chi-Chi asked. Gohan smiled.  
  
"We went to the mall and did some shopping," Gohan said. Chi-Chi raised an eyebrow. A Son male voluntarily went shopping?  
  
"Did you buy anything?" Gohan nodded and pulled out the 5 capsules from his pocket.  
  
"Trunks thought I needed a new wardrobe, so he bought me a new one." Chi-Chi's jaw dropped.  
  
"We can't possibly pay them back," Chi-Chi breathed, wondering just how many clothes were contained in the capsules. Gohan nodded.  
  
"I worried about that, too, but Trunks and Bulma insisted it was fine. Trunks told me I was a 'walking fashion disaster and would never get a girlfriend with the old clothes'. I think he was joking, though," Gohan said, recalling the words Trunks has spoken to him in the Gap. Chi-Chi shrugged, accepting the fact that Bulma had essentially paid for Gohan's clothes and she'd never be able to pay her back.  
  
"Well, if it'll get me grandchildren, I'm fine with it." It was Gohan's turn for his jaw to drop.  
  
"Mom!" he exclaimed, turning bright red, "I just started school, for crying out loud. I have to get a girlfriend and get married and everything before even thinking of grandchildren." Chi-Chi let the issue drop, noticing Gohan's embarrassment over the topic and went back to finishing dinner.   
  
Gohan looked over at Goten, who had been quiet since he entered the room. The barely contained laughter hidden behind his hands was proof enough that something was up with Goten. Gohan sighed with resignation.  
  
"Oh, and what's so funny?" Gohan asked. Goten moved his hands away from his mouth and smiled at his older brother.  
  
"Your face when mommy mentioned grandchildren," Goten giggled. Gohan mussed up Goten's hair in a sign of brotherly affection.  
  
"Very funny, squirt." Goten laughed again.  
  
"Did you have fun with old Trunks?" Goten asked, using the age difference to distinguish between the two version of Trunks, not quite understanding why there were two of them.  
  
"Yes, I did, Goten." Goten smiled.  
  
"Isn't cool that my best friend is Trunks and so is yours?" Goten asked. Gohan paused to consider Goten's words; did he consider Mirai Trunks his best friend? Gohan inwardly shrugged, knowing that Mirai Trunks was the closest thing to a best friend he had.  
  
"Yeah, it is pretty cool," Gohan remarked as Chi-Chi set down the first course of dinner. Both Son boys began salivating at the sight in front of them. Chi-Chi had to restrain a laugh and gestured that they were allowed to start eating. In that moment, the feeding frenzy began and there was no stopping it.  
  
***  
  
The next morning, Gohan arose early, as he usually did, to begin getting ready for school. After showering, he stood in his room, figuring out what to wear that day. He held the 5 capsules in the palm of his hand, trying to remember what was in each of them. Having no room for the new clothes, Gohan decided to just keep them in the capsules he had brought home with him.   
  
Eventually, Gohan decided to keep it simple, opened a couple of capsules, pulled out what he wanted and got dressed. He walked downstairs, dressed in his new clothes, ready to show Chi-Chi the new him. The moment Chi-Chi spotted him in the kitchen, she nearly dropped the dishes she was holding.  
  
"Gohan," she breathed, "You look amazing!" The simple white button-down shirt, un-tucked with a couple of the top buttons undone, and tan khakis looked astounding on him, highlighting his best features. Chi-Chi briefly mused that her son looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine. Gohan smiled and blushed slightly at his mom's compliment.  
  
"Thanks, mom," Gohan said as he sat down at the table. Chi-Chi didn't say anything more, letting the matter rest, and served Gohan his breakfast. He ate his breakfast as fast as a Saiya-jin could and bolted out the door, putting on his new leather jacket and slinging his school bag over his shoulder before doing so.   
  
It took Gohan little time to get to school. He landed on the roof seconds before Trunks did. Trunks spotted Gohan's outfit and smiled.  
  
"Now, that's more like it," Trunks said. Gohan smiled back.  
  
"I knew you'd think so," Gohan remarked as they walked down the stairs that led from the roof. They went straight to class, talking about nothing in particular. As they approached their classroom, they could hear the sounds of 30 students talking animatedly. The moment Gohan entered the room, however, that noise died.   
  
Videl looked over right before Gohan entered the room to see Trunks walking in, wearing his usual Capsule Corp jacket (which she still had yet to figure out why he owned) with a black shirt and blue jeans. Her heart stopped in her chest, or so she swore, when Gohan walked into the room.   
  
He was the epitome of male sexiness, in his white button-up shirt and tan khakis. She could see a hint of pectoral muscles peaking through the top of Gohan's shirt and realized that Gohan might not be the scrawny geek that everyone thought he was. The leather jacket set off the ensemble nicely.   
  
He looks like he belongs on the cover of GQ, Videl thought. Apparently, she wasn't the only one impressed at Gohan's new look. Beside her, Eraser whistled low in appreciation.  
  
"Would you look at that," Eraser said, "And here I thought he couldn't get any sexier." Videl didn't even have it in her to respond to that as she watched Gohan and Trunks walk up the stairs to their seats. Eraser was the first one to speak to them.  
  
"Wow, Gohan. Love the new look." Gohan smiled.  
  
"Thank him," Gohan said, pointing to Trunks, "He helped me." Eraser shot an incredulous look in Trunks' direction.  
  
"You helped him with that?" Eraser asked. Trunks nodded.  
  
"Yeah. I may be a guy, but I know what looks good and his old clothes just didn't look good." Eraser laughed out loud.  
  
"Well, you certainly fixed the problem," Eraser said.   
  
From a couple of seats down, Sharpener nursed a bruised ego. He didn't like the looks Videl was throwing at Gohan at all. He had spent the last three years trying to get Videl to like him and then Gohan entered the picture, ruining all of Sharpener's hard work (AN: like he had a snowball's chance in Hell).   
  
I don't see what's so special about him. So, yeah, he has a few new clothes. Big fucking deal, Sharpener thought, wishing Videl had looked like that in his direction. I'll make that geek pay. I don't know how, but I will, Sharpener resolved. Eraser turned towards Videl, completely unaware of Sharpener's issues.   
  
"What do you think, Videl?" she asked, indicating Gohan's new look. Videl looked over at Gohan and gave him a small smile that made Gohan's stomach flip. Trunks noticed the smile and Gohan's reaction, immediately knowing what was happening. He chuckled at the thought.   
  
Oh, the irony, Trunks thought.  
  
"He looks good," Videl said, not much tone to her voice. Eraser rolled her eyes and looked over at Gohan,  
  
"That means she thinks you look awesome," Eraser interpreted. Gohan smiled back.  
  
"Thanks," Gohan said before turning towards the front of the room where the teacher was setting up for the first lecture of the day. Eraser kept her eyes on Gohan for a few more moments before glancing up at Trunks, his good looks not escaping her notice. She inwardly sighed.   
  
It should be illegal for men to look that good, Eraser thought as she pulled out a notebook, completely oblivious to the blank look on Videl's face. Videl was, at the current moment, trying to suppress the funny feeling in her stomach that she had no word for.   
  
Why did it show up when I looked at Gohan? What is it? Videl questioned. Unable to pinpoint the feeling, she tried to shake it aside as class started.   
  
From his vantage point, Trunks could watch Gohan and Videl easily. He didn't slip past him that every few minutes, either Videl or Gohan would glance over at the other. Trunks smiled.   
  
This'll be an interesting school year.   
  
-------------  
  
Favorite quote moment: "This stuff looks like Cell ate it and then threw it back up" That line just strikes me as one of the best lines I've ever written. I think there are quite a few funny moments in this chapter and they'll just keep on coming in the upcoming chapters. I don't know when the next chapter will be up because I have homework due for my digital design class and then I have a Japanese test coming up, so I'll be a little busy...which is unfortuate because this story is just so much fun! Ja! 


	3. After School Activities

Woot woot! Another chapter! I'm so happy I finished this. It's not as long as the previous one, though, I'm sorry to say. But, it's as long as it needed to be, so I'm ok with the length.  
  
So, I had my Japanese test today and it I thought it went so well that I was inspired to write today. Bet you're all happy I did, huh? I'm happy I did. But, anyway, the next chapter won't be up for a couple of days. I'm going with my boyfriend tomorrow to celebrate the Chinese New Year with his family (he's Vietnamese, but he and his family celebrate it along with every other Asian person I know). I won't be back to somewhere that has easily available internet access until Sunday (i.e. when I come back), but I'll try to have it finished by then 'cause I can just take my laptop with me to work on it. Besides, I'll probably be so busy with celebrating the New Year that I won't have the chapter finished until Sunday, anyway.   
  
Well, anyway, here's the next chapter and Happy New Year!  
  
But, before the chapter, a disclaimer: I, in no way, have anything to do with the ownership of DBZ. Akira Toriyama and co. own it.  
  
----------Chapter 3: After School Activities-----------  
  
Gohan let out a small sigh as the final bell rang, signaling the end of school for the day. He quickly packed up his things and walked out of the classroom, not even waiting for Trunks.   
  
Trunks frowned for a bit, watching as Gohan walked away, not even heeding to his name being called. But, as quickly as the frown appeared, it left his face. Trunks just sighed and shook his head, a small smirk on his face.   
  
Poor guy probably wants to get out and go home, Trunks thought as he, too, gathered up his things and walked out of the room, weaving his way through his classmates as they filed out as well. Trunks easily honed in on Gohan's ki and headed towards it, finding Gohan staring into his open locker. Trunks went over and leaned against his locker, right next to Gohan's.  
  
"Happy school's over, I take it," Trunks commented. Gohan, noticing that Trunks was standing next to him, pulled away from removing his math book and turned towards Trunks with a sigh.  
  
"Yeah," Gohan said, relief evident in his voice, "Those girls were staring at me all day." Trunks shrugged.  
  
"They'll stop eventually," Trunks said, "Once they get used to your new clothes." Gohan only rolled his eyes.  
  
"And only Dende knows when that's going to be," Gohan sighed, "I'm just happy that these clothes don't show off too much." Trunks nodded.  
  
"Yeah, well, that's what you told me you wanted yesterday: clothes that didn't show off too much muscle. Though, I don't profess to understand why you feel the need to hide what you've rightfully earned," Trunks said. Gohan closed his locker and started walking down the hall, Trunks quickly joining him.  
  
"I just don't want everyone staring at me all the time. I came here to have a good time and make some friends, not be under the watchful eyes of my peers at every second, you know?" Gohan explained. Trunks understood.  
  
"Yeah, I do. I can understand why you'd want your privacy," Trunks said as they exited the building. They were silent for a few moments, appreciating the full spring weather, before Trunks looked over at Gohan.  
  
"So, you going home?" Trunks inquired. Gohan shook his head.  
  
"No, actually, I'm heading over to Capsule Corp," Gohan said. Trunks looked a bit taken aback.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Trunks asked. Gohan shrugged.  
  
"Guess I forgot," Gohan explained, "I go over every Tuesday to spar with Vegeta. He's still trying to make it to the second level and he thinks that by sparring with me, the secret will be revealed to him somehow." Trunks just sighed.  
  
"Father tries way too hard," Trunks said as he nodded his head in the direction of the side of the building. Gohan nodded in understanding as they walked along side the building before rounding the corner to find a deserted part of campus. Using the lack of prying eyes to their advantage, Trunks and Gohan jumped into the air, taking flight.  
  
"He's just envious," Gohan said, continuing their conversation, "You remember how upset he was over my dad's power. It really pisses him off that I've surpassed him as well." Trunks chuckled.  
  
"Yeah, well, he's not too happy that I'm stronger than him, as well. I mean, I haven't reached the second level fully yet, but I've gotten far closer than he has, that's for sure," Trunks said. Gohan merely grunted his response, another silence falling over them as they made their way easily through the air.   
  
Soon enough, however, another question popped into Trunks' mind.  
  
"I saw on the schedule tomorrow that we have PE," Trunks said, "What's that like?" Gohan shrugged.  
  
"Don't really know. We only had PE for the first time last week and we didn't do anything. Though, I think I remember something about starting out with a martial arts segment." Trunks raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Martial arts? I didn't think most high schools did that," Trunks remarked. Gohan smirked.  
  
"I don't think so. But, you have to remember, we do have Videl in our class and look at who her father is and the influence he's had over the entire world," Gohan said. Trunks conceded to Gohan's point.  
  
"So, if you get called on to do something, are you going to show your power?" Trunks asked. Gohan shook his head violently.  
  
"No way," Gohan said, "I fully intend to hide my powers as long as I can. I just want to fit in, Trunks. I don't want to look like a freak. Besides, my mom told me that I should keep my powers hidden to prevent people from prying into my life. I have to agree with her. The last thing I need anyone at school to find out is that I'm only half-human."  
  
"Yeah, well, I was given strict orders to hide mine," Trunks said. Gohan looked over at Trunks quizzically.  
  
"By who?" Gohan asked.  
  
"Mom," Trunks said, "See, I don't look too much different than I did during the Cell Games, and that was 7 years ago. Should anyone recognize me because I used my powers and they make the connection, they'll get suspicious and try to find out why I didn't age and someone's bound to figure out that time travel was involved. Mom doesn't want anyone knowing about time travel yet because she feels that this world isn't ready for it." Gohan gave a curt nod.  
  
"Yeah, I can see where Bulma's coming from," Gohan said, "So, it looks like we're resigned to hiding our powers for the rest of high school, eh?" Trunks nodded.  
  
"Yup, sure does. At least we won't be missing much by hiding our powers during PE. It'll just be hard to do so," Trunks said. Gohan sighed.  
  
"Tell me about it," Gohan said, "I have so many accidents related to me losing control of my powers that mom's forbidden me from wielding a hammer or any tool every again or from washing a dish." Trunks laughed.  
  
"I bet you've ruined lots of dishes, huh?" Gohan smiled grimly at the memory.  
  
"Oh, yeah," Gohan said, "I'm just hopeless. But, I know what you're talking about with it being hard. I can't imagine how hard it's going to be to hide my strength while performing in PE." Trunks just sighed.  
  
"Well, we're just going to have to try," Trunks said as Capsule Corp came into view. Gohan smirked.  
  
"Can't wait to see how well that's going to work."  
  
***  
  
The gravity was a constant force threatening to overcome him if he didn't keep up his concentration. Vegeta gritted his teeth against the onslaught of the powerful force. Training at 500 times the Earth's gravity was no picnic, a fact Vegeta was reminded of every time he used the Gravity Room. He knew how strenuous the effects of gravity were on the body, but for Vegeta, what didn't kill him only made him stronger.   
  
Besides, he was determined to push himself beyond the limits of his body; he wanted to breech that threshold of power so much he could taste it. But, it mocked him. Vegeta could feel it, feel the breaking point that would ascend him to the next level, but it was always just out of reach, teasing him with its unattainable nature. Vegeta grunted at the thought and forced his body through another training exercise.   
  
He had just thrust his fist through the thick air when he felt his future son's energy approaching. Vegeta frowned; another thorn in his side. As much pride as he felt in Mirai Trunks, Vegeta couldn't help but envy the strength of his son and how easy he had obtained it. Why couldn't he reach it himself? Vegeta wondered.   
  
A couple of seconds later, Vegeta felt Gohan's ki as well, right next to his son's. Vegeta was suddenly reminded of the day of the week; Kakarotto's first brat was coming over for his usual session. Vegeta smirked slightly as he moved to turn off the gravity. He would go greet them himself.  
  
***  
  
Trunks and Gohan landed easily inside the compound, walking through the complicated maze that was the system of hallways of Capsule Corporation.   
  
"Do you think father would mind if I joined you today?" Trunks asked Gohan. Gohan thought about it for a few seconds before giving a small shrug of the shoulders.  
  
"I don't think so, but we'll have to see. You know how ornery Vegeta can get," Gohan said.  
  
"Ornery, hmm?" a gruff voice called from behind. Gohan and Trunks turned around to see Vegeta standing there in his usual intimidating pose, arms crossed over his chest and an evil smirk on his face.  
  
"Hi, father," Trunks greeted. Vegeta nodded at his son in greeting before looking over at Gohan, an expectant look on his face. Gohan looked a bit confused for a few seconds before he, too, greeted Vegeta in a language that Trunks had never heard before. Vegeta smiled at Gohan's use of the harsh-sounding language and he responded in the same unrecognizable language before turning around.  
  
"Boy, meet me in the Gravity Room in an hour," Vegeta called over his shoulder before disappearing from sight. Once Vegeta was gone, Trunks looked over at Gohan, an eyebrow raised in confusion; there was a light blush of embarrassment on Gohan's face.  
  
"What was that?" Trunks asked, referring to the language.  
  
"That was Saiya-go," Gohan said simply, "Vegeta taught it to me a few years ago after I started asking him about the history of the Saiya-jins. Vegeta said that it was only right that I wanted to know about my heritage and told me the history was best told in the language of the people. So, he taught me. It wasn't that hard to learn, really. Vegeta said something about it being a part of me, something that I instinctually knew." Trunks looked surprised and hopeful.  
  
"I wonder if he'll teach it to me," Trunks wondered.  
  
"Probably," Gohan responded, "You are, after all, his son. Even though you don't have a kingdom to rule anymore, he'll probably want to teach you everything you'd need to know to assume the throne." Trunks nodded.  
  
"Yeah, you're probably right," Trunks said, "So, what did he say to you anyway? And what did you say to him?"  
  
"I greeted him in the proper Saiya-jin fashion and he told me that our training session was canceled for today. Most likely because he wants to see you in the GR later," Gohan said, a thought coming to mind, "Hey, if Vegeta decides he wants to teach you Saiya-go, you can practice speaking with me. Vegeta said that I'm pretty good at it. He helps, though, because he speaks to me in Saiya-go most of the time these days, so I don't have a chance to forget." Trunks smiled at Gohan's offer.  
  
"That would be great. Thanks," Trunks said. Gohan smiled back.  
  
"Glad to help," Gohan responded. Suddenly, Gohan's face twisted into a look of horror.  
  
"Shit!" he exclaimed, the rare expletive leaving his lips. Trunks looked worried.  
  
"What? What's wrong?" Trunks asked. Gohan relaxed and shook his head.  
  
"Nothing, I just forgot my math book at school. I wanted to get that homework done tonight, so I'll have to go back to school and get it," Gohan explained, "I better get going so I can get my book before the building closes. See you tomorrow." Trunks smirked.  
  
"Yeah, see ya."  
  
***  
  
After Gohan left, Trunks navigated his way through the compound and up to his room. Upon his arrival, Bulma gave him one of the suites upstairs in the wing that held the family quarters. Trunks had his own living room and bedroom to do with as he pleased. Trunks plopped down onto the sofa once he reached his room, dropping his school bag on the ground next to the couch.   
  
I wonder what father wants? Trunks thought as he leaned back onto the cushions, allowing himself a few minutes of relaxation before going down to meet with Vegeta. Unable to figure out what Vegeta wanted, Trunks sighed and reached over for the remote control to the television. Trunks had rarely had time for watching TV growing up and marveled at having the free time with which to waste on something like watching TV. Trunks flipped through the channels for a few moments before settling on "Law and Order: SVU", coming on it a quarter of the way into it.   
  
After watching a particularly enthralling episode about a man posing as a cop to get access to his victims so he could rape them, Trunks decided it was time to go see what Vegeta wanted. He turned off the television with a simple press of the button and stood up from the couch. He made his way down to the GR in short time and, noticing that the gravity wasn't on, walked in to find Vegeta sitting down on the floor, seemingly deep in meditation.   
  
Vegeta opened one eye as Trunks walked into the room, the door swishing shut behind him.  
  
"Sit," Vegeta commanded. Trunks did; sitting across from Vegeta about a foot away. Trunks didn't say anything, but merely cocked his head to one side, portraying his wonderment to his father. The gesture was not lost on Vegeta who merely smiled at him.  
  
"Trunks," Vegeta said, using his name rather than one of his more colorful nicknames, "You are my son. And you are also a Saiya-jin prince. It's time I taught you what that means." Remembering Gohan's words from earlier, Trunks simply smiled.  
  
"Well, then, let's get to it."  
  
***  
  
Far away from West Capitol, Gohan landed on the roof of Orange Star High, swiftly making his way down the stairs to the ground level, relieved that the school building was still open. In short time, he reached his locker and opened it, pulling out his math book and checking to see if he needed anything else.   
  
From a few feet away, a curious looking Videl stared at Gohan. She had stayed after school to ask her chemistry teacher questions about the homework assignment and was now getting ready to leave when she spotted Gohan running down the hall to his locker.  
  
"Hey, Gohan," Videl called out. Gohan jumped, not knowing she was there. His head turned sharply to the left, seeing Videl standing at her locker.  
  
"Oh," Gohan said, visibly relaxing, "Hi Videl." Videl gave one of her trademark smirks.  
  
"So, what are you doing on campus this late?" Videl asked. Gohan held out his math book.  
  
"Forgot this," Gohan said simply, unable to believe that he was holding a normal conversation with Satan Videl, the daughter of the man who took credit for what Gohan did 6 years ago. Gohan inwardly smirked.   
  
Dende must be having a field day with this, Gohan thought. Videl nodded in understanding.  
  
"Ah," she said, "Makes sense." It was then Gohan's turn to look at her questioningly.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Gohan asked. Videl mentally shrugged, figuring it couldn't hurt to be friendly to Gohan, especially seeing how as she wanted to get closer to him.  
  
"I stayed to ask Tanaka-sensei questions on our chemistry homework from last night; I just didn't get a good portion of that assignment," Videl said. Gohan was shocked; he had only known Videl for a couple of weeks, but he had surmised that she was no dummy.  
  
"I could help you, if you wanted," Gohan said. Videl shot him a look, her eyes narrowing as she tried to puzzle out his motives for offering her his help.  
  
"What?" she said tersely. Gohan squirmed underneath her piercing gaze.  
  
"Well, I only meant if you needed it. I already studied chemistry a couple of years ago and I know it pretty well," Gohan explained. Oh, Videl didn't doubt that he did.  
  
"What would be in it for you?" Videl asked. Gohan held out his hands defensively.  
  
"Nothing!" Gohan exclaimed, "I was only trying to help." Videl scrutinized Gohan, looking for signs that he was lying and found none. She sighed as she dropped her gaze, her fingers rubbing her forehead.   
  
Good going, girl. What a way to become friends with the guy: accusing him of having an ulterior motive, Videl thought.  
  
"Sorry," Videl finally said, meeting his eyes again, "I'm not used to people wanting to help me without getting something in return. Sometimes it really sucks to be the daughter of a famous celebrity." Gohan smiled sympathetically.  
  
"I bet," Gohan said, "With all those people just being nice to you to get close to your father. That must get annoying real quick." Videl rolled her eyes and nodded.  
  
"You have no idea, Son Gohan. But, thanks for your help. I'll take you up on it sometime if I need it," she stated. Gohan noticed she had relaxed a bit from her defensive pose.  
  
"Wanna walk me out?" Gohan said as he closed his locker. Videl smirked at him again.  
  
"Sure," she said, "Just give me a moment." Videl took a quick survey of the contents of her locker and pulled out a couple of books, shoving them into her bag, before closing her locker.  
  
"Ok," she announced, "Let's go." Together, Gohan and Videl walked down the hallway towards the exit, both silent as they thought of something to say. Nothing came to mind until they got outside.  
  
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Videl," Gohan said, turning to walk away.  
  
"Wait," Videl said, "Do you need a ride?" Videl couldn't believe the words that were coming out of her mouth; was she offering a boy a ride? Gohan turned and smiled in thanks.  
  
"Thanks, but I don't need it. It's way out of your way, besides," Gohan said as gently as possible, having quickly found out that Videl was quick to take offense and even quicker to anger. Indeed, Videl felt the rage surge up inside of her at Gohan's rejection of her trying to be nice, but quickly suppressed it.   
  
He's just trying to be nice, too, Videl. Don't get so worked up. But, Kami, it was hard not to. Videl let it slide and nodded.  
  
"Ok," she said, "Then I'll see you tomorrow." With that, Videl reached into her pocket and pulled out her capsulized helicopter. Opening it up, she got in and took off, waving at Gohan.   
  
Gohan waved back and watched her fly away, waiting until she was out of sight before taking off into the air himself. Gohan smiled to himself as he flew home; he had made another friend and, damn, did it feel good.  
  
--------------  
  
Well, whatcha think? Not bad, eh? Stay tuned for the next chapter, however...Trunks and Gohan's adventures with physical education. Boy, the ideas I have lined up for that...hehehe...Well, anyway, better go. Ja! 


	4. PE Mayhem

Heh heh...Gomen, ne. This was supposed to be out two weeks ago, but a lot of stuff happened that prevented me from finishing it. First, there was the lunar new year, which was a busy affair with my bf's family. Then I got sick and the cold medication I was taking made me drowsy, so I didn't have the ambition to write. But, when I was finally feeling better, I got sucked into the wonderful world that is MSR fanfic. For those of you who know what that is, very cool. For those who don't, it's Mulder/Scully Romance fanfic, another one of my favorite fanfic categories. So, I got caught up with reading all of the stories out there that I just forgot all about this story. So, I apologize.   
  
  
  
Anyway, I have three midterms this week, so I probably won't be writing the next chapter until this weekend after my midterms are over. But, I hope you like this chapter. It didn't take too long to write and I'm rather proud of it. So, enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with the ownership of DBZ, though I wish it did and that's all I have to say on the matter.  
  
-----------Chapter 3: PE Mayhem----------  
  
The next morning, Trunks all but crawled into his seat. Gohan, Videl, and Eraser were already in their seats, chatting about nothing in particular. All three raised eyebrows at Trunks' haggard state as he plopped down into his seat and allowed his head to land on the desk.   
  
Gohan, Eraser, and Videl looked over at each other. Videl pointed up at Trunks with her thumb and shot Gohan a questioning look. Gohan shrugged and turned around to interrogate the half-asleep Saiya-jin hybrid.  
  
"What happened to you, Trunks?" Gohan asked. Trunks lifted his head from the desk and looked down at Gohan with half-lidded eyes.  
  
"You remember yesterday when dad wanted to see me?" Trunks asked; Gohan nodded, and Trunks continued.  
  
"And you remember what you said about dad teaching me my heritage?" Once again, Gohan nodded, though Eraser and Videl were confused and curious about what heritage Trunks was talking about.  
  
"Well," Trunks continued, "Guess what I did until 4:00 in the morning?" Gohan raised his eyebrows in surprise.  
  
"And, what did you learn?" Gohan asked, eager to see if Trunks had learned anything interesting. Trunks sighed and brought up a hand to rub his eyes, hoping that the action would help him wake up.  
  
"More than I wanted to about dad's history," Trunks said. Gohan nodded in understanding, suddenly a bit subdued; he knew more than he wanted to of Vegeta's colorful past too.   
  
"Nothing that you can help with, however," Trunks said, referring to the learning of Saiya-go, "He said he'd get to that in a few weeks." Gohan chuckled.  
  
"Well, hopefully he won't keep you up until 4:00 in the morning anymore," Gohan said.  
  
"Yeah," Videl said, speaking for the first time, "You look like shit." Trunks just glanced over at her.  
  
"Thanks," Trunks said sarcastically. Videl gave him a mock sweet smile, causing Eraser to laugh at her expression.  
  
"You're welcome," Videl said with a voice as sweet as her smile. Gohan had to suppress a laugh at Videl's tone, biting down on his lip to do so. Trunks was about to come back with a snapping retort when the homeroom teacher walked in, cutting off all conversations that were currently going on. Gohan turned and gave Trunks a supporting smile. Trunks smiled back and spent the next three hours trying to stay awake until he could get his hands on some coffee.  
  
***  
  
The only sound to be heard was the shuffling of clothing as both Gohan and Trunks changed for gym. Gohan had brought the pants to his navy gi and a gray T-shirt while Trunks wore gray sweats and a white T-shirt. Both outfits covered up the muscles of the two young Saiya-jins as they stood in a secluded corner of the guys' locker room where prying eyes couldn't see.   
  
Wordlessly, they both placed their clothes into an empty locker and walked through the silent locker room to the front door; everyone else had left and gone out to the gym, leaving Trunks and Gohan behind. Trunks sighed with apprehension.  
  
"Well, this is it," he said. Gohan nodded.  
  
"Yup."   
  
"The moment of truth."  
  
"Yup."  
  
"The moment where we could be labeled freaks."  
  
"Yup."  
  
"The moment that the rest of our high school careers rests on."  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Are you ready, Gohan?" A brief pause.  
  
"Nope." Trunks sighed in agitation, turning to look at Gohan, who appeared to be sweating bullets.  
  
"Come on, we gotta go out there."  
  
"Trunks, I'd rather face Frieza again than go out there. This moment was on my mind all last night, picturing possible scenarios and none of them were good. Can't we just ditch?" Gohan asked hopefully. Trunks cocked an eyebrow.  
  
"Son Gohan, the poster child for academic honesty suggesting we cut school? Gohan, I'm shocked," Trunks said, "We have to go out there. We won't be able to avoid PE all year." Gohan sighed; he knew Trunks was right.  
  
"Ok," Gohan said reluctantly, "Let's go." Trunks gave Gohan a firm push out the door and followed him out, joining the rest of the class on the bleachers as they waited for their teacher to come out. They took seats next to Videl, who immediately noticed the ashen look of fear on Gohan's face.  
  
"What's wrong with him?" Videl asked Trunks. Trunks shrugged.  
  
"He's just a bit frightened over his performance in PE," Trunks said. Videl thought she understood.  
  
"It's ok, Gohan," she said to the scared young Saiya-jin, "You can't be perfect in everything. Not everyone is cut out to do martial arts." Trunks almost burst out laughing. Son Gohan, not adept in martial arts? The concept was totally foreign to him. For his entire life, Gohan had been his mentor in the martial arts, an infinite well of knowledge in the area. Trunks laid a hand on Gohan's shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, Gohan, not everyone's cut out for martial arts." Gohan could hear the phony comforting tone in Trunks' voice and turned, giving him a sharp glare.   
  
Yeouch, if looks could kill, Trunks thought as he removed his hand from Gohan's shoulder. Videl looked over at Trunks and Gohan, a curious look on his face. She could hear the sarcastic tone in Trunks' voice and saw the glare on Gohan's face.   
  
There was definitely something going on, something not being said. Videl didn't know what it was, but it had something to do with what she had said. Had Gohan tried martial arts before and it hadn't worked out? Or was he more skilled than he let on? Videl didn't know what it was and it bothered her. From beside her, a voice drew her out of her thoughts. Videl turned to see Sharpener looking at her expectantly.  
  
"What?" Videl said. Sharpener sighed in annoyance.  
  
"I asked you if you were going to help Kawakami-sensei teach martial arts this semester," Sharpener repeated. Videl shrugged.  
  
"I don't know. If he wants me to, than, yeah," Videl said. Sharpener gave another annoyed noise and Videl scowled at him as he looked away. She knew why he was annoyed and his annoyance pissed her off. It was like he thought he had exclusive rights to her. Videl knew he had been trying to get her to go out with him for the past three years, but she let it slide; they had been friends since 1st grade and she didn't want to ruin that friendship.   
  
But she didn't approve of Sharpener's recent behavior during the past few days. Videl knew the reason was the appearance of Gohan and Trunks taking away all the attention previously devoted to him by Eraser and Videl. Videl could only roll her eyes at his childish behavior; she had thought him better than that, but it was apparent that she was wrong.   
  
Typical teenage male, Videl thought with an inaudible snort. Another sound, once again, dragged Videl out of her thoughts. She looked over to see Kawakami-sensei entering the gym. All the students hushed as he drew up in front of the class, dressed in a white gi and holding a clipboard.  
  
"Hello, class," he called out in a gruff voice, "I hope you're all excited to begin our martial arts segment. There are a few of you who do not need my training." He looked pointedly at Videl and Sharpener. "But you still may learn something new, so don't think you'll be able to slack off this year. Some of you I don't recognize and I know I'll be getting to know you as the year goes by. Now, I will be testing most of you.   
  
"For those of you who I've had the pleasure of teaching, I will be testing for any progress you might have made since I last taught you. For those of you who have not had me as a teacher, I ask you if you have had any training in the martial arts and, if you do, I will ask you to show me what you can do. Is that understood?" The whole class nodded their affirmation. Kawakami-sensei smiled in satisfaction.  
  
"Good, then let's get started. I will start with the students who I have not had before." With that, Kawakami-sensei looked at the clipboard in his hands.  
  
"Ok, apparently the only two students I don't know here are Son Gohan and Briefs Trunks. Son Gohan, do you have any martial arts experience." Gohan started at being called without notice.  
  
"Um, no, I don't," Gohan stuttered, almost gagging at the blatant lie issuing from his mouth.  
  
"Ok, that's fine," Kawakami-sensei said, "How about you, Trunks?" Trunks didn't think he could speak the lie he wanted to, so he just shook his head. Kawakami-sensei nodded.  
  
"Well, I'll be showing some basic moves after I test everyone else, so you can pick those up rather easily." For the next 45 minutes, every student, except for Videl and Sharpener, were tested for their aptitude in the martial arts. Gohan and Trunks just cringed at some of the bad forms and sloppy movements they saw. Soon enough, Kawakami-sensei was ready to begin teaching. With a single hand motion, he called up Videl to help him demonstrate.  
  
"Ok class, we're going to be starting out with a simple series of punches followed by a side kick. Ready Videl?" Videl nodded, knowing what Kawakami-sensei wanted. She bowed at her teacher before executing three slow punches, all blocked, followed by a side kick, also blocked. Both Trunks and Gohan were impressed at how precise her movements were. Her motions may have not been that complex, but they were performed with an ease and precision that the two teenage Saiya-jins hadn't seen in many people outside of the Z-senshi.   
  
After the demonstration, Kawakami-sensei explained all the movements, including the blocking. He then called up students in pairs, walking them through the simple steps until they could perform it reasonably well. Finally, he called up Trunks and Gohan.  
  
"Talk about a challenge," Gohan muttered sarcastically.  
  
"Yeah, if father could see us, he'd kick our asses to Vegetasei and back," Trunks said, equally as quiet, as they approached the front of the class.  
  
"Well, I assume that you know the drill by now, having watched everyone else do it," Kawakami said, "So let's see how well you can do it and I'll walk you through after." Trunks and Gohan faced each other, trying their hardest to assume sloppy forms. They actually managed to do it somewhat convincingly for their classmates.  
  
"Ok, Trunks, you attack Gohan with the moves I've shown you," Kawakami said, motioning for them to start. That's where things went horribly wrong. Trunks punched once, twice, and a third time, putting all his energy into throwing loose punches. Those Gohan was expecting. But, it was the fourth one that hit him in the stomach that caught him off guard. Gohan threw a glare at a sheepish-looking Trunks.   
  
Trunks then pivoted and delivered the side kick. Unfortunately, at that moment, Gohan's instincts kicked in and, instead of blocking, he grabbed Trunks' foot and twisted, causing Trunks to spin and fall. Before landing hard, Trunks lashed out with his arms, knocking Gohan's legs out from under him. Gohan was so caught up with berating himself over his action that he wasn't prepared for what Trunks did and fell hard, landing on the floor.   
  
The entire class watched with silent amazement at what happened. Was it a fluke or intentional? Gohan sighed deeply as he lay next to Trunks, his head by Trunks' feet. From by his own feet, Trunks' voice reached his ears.  
  
"Gohan, you are such a bastard." Gohan propped himself up on his elbows and looked over at Trunks, an eyebrow raised.  
  
"Excuse me, but my parents were married. How about yours?" Trunks drew in a hissed breath.  
  
"Ooh, touché, but a good point," Trunks said. Kawakami-sensei walked over to the two teenagers lying on the ground, not even out of breath, and looked down at them.  
  
"What was that?" he asked, curious to know. Gohan and Trunks exchanged a panicked glance before Trunks thought up an explanation.  
  
"Um, it was something we saw in a kung fu movie," Trunks said hurriedly. Kawakami-sensei nodded in understanding at their excuse. Trunks sighed and looked over at Gohan, who was shooting him an ugly look. Trunks knew that look. It screamed, "That was the best you could come up with?"  
  
"Well," Kawakami-sensei, "Just don't try those types of moves again. You're lucky you guys didn't get hurt." Trunks and Gohan both had the same thought to the teacher's words.   
  
Hurt? Yeah right. They got up, clasping hands to help pull each other up. They walked back over to their seats and sat down, trying to ignore the look Videl was giving them. She didn't buy their excuse. She had been watching martial artists for years and they looked they had practiced martial arts before.   
  
But why would they lie? Videl wondered.   
  
***  
  
The end of PE couldn't come with fast enough. And, with the end of PE, came the end of school. Videl caught up with Trunks and Gohan at their lockers, ready to question them on their activity in PE.  
  
"Hey, guys," she said, catching their attention. Trunks and Gohan turned to see Videl approaching them.  
  
"Hey, Videl," Gohan said. Trunks just gave her a nod.  
  
"So," Videl said as casually as she could, "What was that all about in PE?" Trunks and Gohan froze for a brief moment and looked at each other before looking back over at Videl.  
  
"Nothing, really," Trunks said, "Just something we saw in a movie."  
  
"Yeah," Gohan agreed, "We were just playing around." Videl noticed in that moment that neither of them could lie to save their lives and they knew it. Both Gohan and Trunks knew that Videl wasn't convinced with their lie. But, Videl was somewhat satisfied; she was almost 100% sure that they were lying and that was half of what she wanted to know. She would just have to be patient to find out the other half, the reason why they lied to her. Videl tossed them a smirk.  
  
"Well," Videl said, "Just be careful next time you want to try something like that, ok?"   
  
"Ok," Gohan said as Videl opened her locker and rifled through it for a few moments. A few seconds later, she closed it and gave them one last smile.  
  
"See you tomorrow," Videl said.  
  
"Bye, Videl," Gohan called out as she walked away.  
  
"Yeah, see ya," Trunks followed up. When she was out of earshot, Gohan turned to Trunks with a relieved look.  
  
"Well, at least she didn't press us for information," Gohan said. Trunks nodded with relief.  
  
"Yeah, she's really persistent when she wants to be," Trunks remarked. Gohan closed his locker door and turned towards Trunks.  
  
"Hey, PE got me all worked up and I need a spar. Wanna come to my house with me and spar. You can also stay for dinner, if you want. I'll just have to call my mom to tell her she has another Saiya-jin for dinner." Trunks smiled at Gohan's offer.  
  
"Sure, that sounds good. I could also use the spar. I was hoping to get one yesterday with father, but he just wanted to talk about our heritage instead of fighting. And, yes, I would like to stay for dinner." Gohan smiled back.  
  
"Cool, lend me your cell phone so I can call home," Gohan asked. Trunks drew out his cell phone and handed it over to Gohan. After a quick phone call to home, where Chi-Chi gave her approval to have Trunks over for dinner, Gohan handed the phone back to Trunks.  
  
"You can come over," Gohan said, "Mom has no problem with it."  
  
"Cool," Trunks said, "It's better than eating food made by mom's kitchen robots." Gohan smiled.  
  
"Which is, of course, better than eating your mom's cooking," Gohan said. Trunks considered Gohan's words for a moment.  
  
"True," he said after a bit, "But the kitchen robots make everything to the exact conditions of the recipes. The food doesn't have much character to it. Not like your mom's cooking." Gohan smiled at the thought of his Chi-Chi's culinary abilities.  
  
"Nobody cooks like mom," Gohan said, "No one even comes close. But, anyway, let's go." Trunks closed his locker and started walking next to Gohan as they made their way through the crowded hallway, completely unaware of the mass of girls watching them walk down the hallway. They escaped the confines of the school hallway unscathed, however, and ducked around the corner of the building. Wordlessly, they took off into the sky, flying at full speed towards the 439 mountain area.  
  
-------------  
  
Not bad, eh? Poor Trunks and Gohan...the slip ups they have. And Videl knows something's up...she's going to make their lives hell and vice versa. So, stay tuned for the next chapter! Wish me luck with my midterms! Ja! 


End file.
